How much it'll cost Calgary Flames to bring back Ryan Lomberg
Ryan Lomberg’s future is very unclear at this point in time.
Though still technically a member of the Calgary Flames, the 31-year-old is set to become a UFA on July 1.
Plenty of fans in Calgary would love to see Lomberg return. There’s even a good portion who are posting to Reddit on a near-daily basis, begging the Flames to re-sign him. It goes to show the impact he’s made since signing a two-year deal prior to the 2024-25 campaign.
What Lomberg provides is a ton of speed and physicality in a fourth-line role. He never shies away from dropping the gloves and is every bit as beloved in the Flames dressing room as he is by the fan base.
The issue, however, is that he provides next to nothing offensively on a team that has struggled to score goals the past two seasons. In a combined 137 games since signing with the Flames, he’s managed just seven goals and 22 points. On top of that, he doesn’t kill penalties, making him a tricky player to fit into the bottom six.
Given Lomberg’s flaws, AFP Analytics is projecting that he will sign just a one-year deal worth just $850,000. That would be a major pay cut from his current contract, which pays him $2 million annually.
For that price, many Flames fans would see it as a no-brainer to bring Lomberg back for at least one more season. It may not be time to get your hopes up, however.
With the Flames in a rebuilding stage, they need to ensure they have some open spots on their roster for some of their youth to fight for spots. In other words, if they were to bring Lomberg back, they would need to be sure he wouldn’t be blocking a younger player’s path.
There is also a possibility that Lomberg may prefer a fresh start elsewhere. Though he remained adamant at his end-of-season media availability that he hopes to return, one can’t help but wonder if being healthy scratched in 17 of the final 19 games of the regular season left a bit of a sour taste in his mouth. He may feel there is a better opportunity elsewhere.
The good news for Flames fans who want to see Lomberg return is that it won’t cost much to bring him back. That said, management may view this as the proper time to move on and give some others a look.
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